He's Not a Tame Lion

One of my favorite books/movies (and there are a lot of them!) is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from C.S. Lewis' famous series, The Chronicles of Narnia. So, when it came on TV Sunday, the kids and I watched it. After all, it was our Sabbath Rest Day and it is an allegory for the Christian world view, so it fits, right? LOL

 (WARNING! Somewhat of a spoiler alert here, don't read on if you don't want clues to the end! I'm sure most everyone already knows but I felt I needed to warn just in case!)

Near the end of the film there is a dialog between Lucy and Mr Tumnus which I had completely forgotten about. Aslan (the Jesus figure portrayed as a Lion) is walking away, alone, after all the drama has subsided. It's clear He is leaving and Lucy is sad that it may be a long time before He returns. Her friend, Mr Tumnus, notices her disappointment and says "Don't worry, we'll see him again." When Lucy asks "When?", Mr Tumnus replies

 "In time. One day he'll be here, and the next he won't. But you must not press him. After all, he's not a tame lion."

If there is one thing I know C.S. Lewis does well, it's pointing out what we tend to overlook or forget about God's character. Reading in Numbers 14 this morning reminded me of how much I love this quote for it's simple truth. In Numbers 13 & 14, the people are once again complaining that God should have left them in Egypt where their lives were easier even though they were slaves. They sent scouts to the land God had promised to give them and all but two of them came back reporting of the fearsome giant people who inhabited it and how they would never conquer them as God said they would. At this point it appears that God has had enough and, as punishment for their grumbling, disbelief, & disobedience, He swears that none of those people will ever live to see the promised land.  

Ouch. In verses 27-35, God goes on to say "How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the  Lord , I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun (These are the two scouts who trusted the Lord would deliver the promised land as He said He would). As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.' I, the  Lord , have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die." (parenthesis added by me)

"After all, he's not a tame lion."

Ouch again. Through the amazing gift of Jesus, we are immediately forgiven of our offenses when we ask Him to be. However, because of that, I think we easily forget just how bad our consequences would be if not for His sacrifice on our behalf. We tend to look at God as this warm and fuzzy smiling Grandpa in the sky who wants to make us hot cocoa on a snowy day. The truth is, as much as He is perfect love and light, He is also righteous wrath and power. 

Mr Tumnus: "But you must not press him. After all, he's not a tame lion."

Lucy: "No, but he is good."

God gets angry. God doles out punishments for disobedience. God can not be kept on a leash. He's not a genie in a bottle, waiting to grant our wishes. However, God is love and His love for us knows no bounds. God knew that on our own we'd never be able to be enter into His Kingdom, so He sent Jesus to take our punishment for us so that we would have a chance at eternity with Him. (I say chance because you have to accept that invitation for yourself. He doesn't make us accept it or automatically grant it upon a person's birth.) Jesus is the buffer between our mistakes and God's complete Holiness. Now, all who accept Jesus' sacrifice for them, the children of God, are on a level playing field.  Thanks to Jesus, God can look at us with a smile on His face because God is looking at us through the perfect lens of Jesus. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Do you enjoy the works of C.S. Lewis? Which of his writings has inspired you most? I'd love to hear about them!